INDIA bloc leaders hold protest against Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi amid tight security

'Coming storm will sweep Gyanesh away': Pawan Khera

Congress leader Pawan Khera, speaking about the Opposition rally, said, "This is the calm before the storm. The coming storm will sweep Gyanesh away, and Amit Shah and Narendra Modi will also not remain in their positions."

He told news agency PTI, "Will traders not suffer losses because of the BJP's rally? Will they suffer losses only because of the Opposition's rally? Ask them, please. Under what pressure do they make traders write letters and then organise rallies themselves? Nitin Nabin held a rally on Wednesday when the markets were open. Did traders suffer losses or benefit from it?"

'Will put EC's truth in front of the people today,' says Kapil Sibal

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal arrived at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence ahead of the INDIA bloc march and rally.

"We will put EC's truth in front of the people today," he told news agency PTI.

'Voice raised at the Ramlila rally must be carried into Parliament': Sagarika Ghose

TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, ahead of the Opposition protest march and rally at Ramlila Maidan, said, "The voice raised at the Ramlila rally must be carried into Parliament, and formal proceedings should take place during the Winter Session to ensure that Gyanesh Kumar is officially removed from his post through due process."

Ghose told PTI news agency that the rally would be "very impactful and important".

Supporters gather at Ramlila Maidan, across capital

Supporters of various INDIA bloc parties began gathering at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan early Sunday morning, while party workers assembled at different locations across the national capital ahead of the Opposition alliance's 'Chalo Dilli' protest against alleged electoral irregularities and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Samajwadi Party workers gathered outside party chief Akhilesh Yadav's residence, while groups of Congress supporters assembled outside Himachal Bhawan before proceeding towards the rally venue.

Many supporters arrived in Delhi on Sunday morning, while several others had reached the national capital on Saturday or earlier as parties mobilised their cadres from different states for the protest.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged people coming to Delhi for the protest to also shop from local traders ahead of Diwali, Chhath and Bhai Dooj, asserting that the Opposition's programme would not hurt businesses.

In a video message posted on X, Gandhi said lakhs of people were expected to reach the capital and urged them to support small traders. "Along with protesting, marching and attending the rally tomorrow, do a little shopping too," he said, accusing the BJP of spreading rumours because it was "scared" of the Opposition's mobilisation.

The 'Chalo Dilli' mobilisation will begin with a march from the Minto Road-Connaught Place junction at noon, culminating at Ramlila Maidan, where the INDIA bloc will hold a rally. Senior alliance leaders are expected to travel in open buses from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence to the starting point of the march.

At Ramlila Maidan, a large tricolour canopy has been erected over the main stage for senior opposition leaders, while a second stage is being arranged for representatives of the INDIA bloc state units. Rows of white canopy tents have been put up, metal barricades installed to regulate movement, and temporary platforms have been assembled.

Separate entry gates and enclosures are being arranged for different categories of attendees. Organisers have also been asked to deploy volunteers to regulate the crowd, arrange drinking water and separate toilets for women, and coordinate parking with the traffic police. Overnight stay at the venue is not permitted.

The INDIA bloc has said it expects a turnout of up to 10 lakh people, while Delhi Police expects around 50,000. Ramlila Maidan can accommodate 45,000 to 50,000 people when empty, but its capacity is estimated to come down to 30,000-40,000 with chairs, enclosures and designated passageways in place.

Space outside the ground will be kept for crowd spillover.

The INDIA bloc has appealed to students, youth, women, workers and civil society members to join the protest. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and student organisations have also extended support to the mobilisation.

The mobilisation follows a symbolic 'public impeachment' of Gyanesh Kumar organised by the INDIA bloc at Kharge's residence on Saturday. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings, during which Kharge moved a resolution listing the Opposition's charges against the CEC, and Rahul Gandhi delivered the concluding remarks before it was adopted.

The Opposition has been protesting against what it describes as 'vote chori', alleging large-scale deletion of voters' names during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Protest rally in Delhi for CEC resignation 'warning' to Modi, Shah: Venugopal

AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday said the party's protest rally against CEC Gyanesh Kumar to be held during the day at Ramlila grounds in the national capital was a "stern warning" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Congress has alleged electoral irregularities and demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

Venugopal told the media in Delhi that it will be a protest like never before and that it has affected the composure of the PM and Home Minister.

"They have lost their composure seeing the magnitude of the public support for the protest. That is why they are making statements that the protestors are anarchists and the agitation was an insult to the Parliament. The protest is a stern warning to them," the Congress leader said.

"Gyanesh will be removed from his post. Take it from us," he added.

Venugopal also said that it would be "good for the police" if they cooperate.

State Health Minister K Muraleedharan, who is in Delhi to take part in the rally, told the media that people of India want Kumar to resign as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the protest by the INDIA bloc will continue till he does.

Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Saturday said that when democracy was under challenge, then silence was not an option and urged everyone to join the protest rally.

"Chalo Dilli! When democracy is challenged, silence is not an option. The Constitution is our strength. The people's mandate is our responsibility. Defending both is our collective duty," he said on 'X'.

Security tightened ahead of Opposition march in Delhi

Security personnel carrying batons and shields and accompanied by riot control vehicles surrounded the site of a planned opposition protest in Delhi on Sunday that is set to demand the resignation of the country's election chief over a controversial revision of voter lists.

Authorities warned of traffic diversions ahead of the protest march and rally that will be led by Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi. The opposition says it expects hundreds of thousands of people to participate in what it says will be a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Opposition parties, student organisations and the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party have held near-daily demonstrations since last month demanding that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar step down over the voter list revision that critics say favour the BJP.

The Election Commission has denied favouring any party and said wrongly deleted voters can re-enrol, while the BJP has accused rivals of trying to undermine democracy by wrongly questioning legitimate electoral processes.

Analysts say the youth protests, and growing support for the opposition, form the worst crisis for Modi since he came to power in 2014. But his government remains stable and the next general election is not due until 2029.

The opposition parties have announced they will hold a nearly 1.5 km (1 mile) march on Sunday from Central Delhi to the Ramlila Maidan, a ground that is the designated site for their protest rally.

Visuals from news agency ANI showed riot control vehicles and dozens of security personnel armed with batons and shields outside the rally venue, where announcements were being made urging people to ensure smooth traffic movement and cooperate with police officials.

Delhi Traffic Police said "a large gathering" was expected at the venue, and traffic regulations and diversions would be implemented "as required".

"People have started coming to participate in this rally...we have ensured proper arrangements at the venue, and arrangements are also planned on the route of the march that will happen in a few hours from now," senior police officer Rohit Rajbir told ANI.

The protests demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation erupted after The Indian Express newspaper reported in September that his two deputies had raised several concerns internally about voter list revisions, registration procedures, and digital systems.

The change, which began last year, removed over 130 million names - more than the population of Japan - from voter lists, including 28 million who died, 63 million who relocated, and 30 million who could not be traced.

Opposition parties allege the deletions disproportionately affect Muslim voters and other minorities, who are unlikely to support the Hindu nationalist ruling party -- allegations the poll panel and BJP reject.